Do More on the Shore Ezine

An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust

CIBC* COIPThe waterfront municipalities of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, conservation authorities and community groupsThe Eastern Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Waterfront Working Group* MapArt* DunmapOntario Ministry of Health Promotion Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee* St. Lawrence Cement* Tilley Endurables

November 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

Thank You Petrina
Great Waterfront Trail Adventure 2009
A New Way to Vacation: “Bateau Velo” Combines Cycling and Boating
Remembering George Nicholson
Featured Trail Route - Greater Niagara Circle Route
Signing Scarborough Waterfront Trail
Trails of the World - Switzerland

THANK YOU PETRINA

If you learned about the Waterfront Trail in the past couple of years, you likely have Petrina Tulissi to thank. She has led a number of excellent outreach projects, including this Shorezine, and introduced award-winning material for families on our website. She is a dedicated cyclist and passionate Waterfront Trail champion who will be missed by us. Petrina’s contract is expired (which is code in the not for profit world for we don’t have the funding to keep her) but she will return to help lead the support team for the 2009 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Tour. Petrina, we will be forever grateful to you for all your hard work and look forward to seeing you on the Trail next July!

GREAT WATERFRONT TRAIL ADVENTURE 2009

This year we have created the 2nd Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure from July 4th to 11th, to help bring awareness to Ontario’s wonderful Great Lake waterfront along the shoreline of the Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In response to 2008 participants’ requests, this year’s 8-day odyssey incorporates the great highlights from last year, while adding some exciting new community options for 2009:

Staying in the heart of heritage Toronto—Fort York
Overnight stops in Port Hope and Trenton
Kick-off from Fort George, Niagara-on-the-Lake (TBC)
Experience new sections of Trail in Toronto and Belleville

“Quite simply, it was just a great experience and it was wonderful to be tourists in our home province... makes one realize that great vacations can be had right here in Ontario.”

-Quote from 2008 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure participant-

A NEW WAY TO VACATION – “BATEAU VELO” COMBINES CYCLING AND BOATING

An innovative new tourism company was launched in Quebec this summer, which combines cycling and nautical tourism in one vacation. The “Bateau Velo,” tours were developed by Latitude 45º Nord based on a similar concept in the Netherlands. Cyclists ride their bikes during the day along river bike trails and dine and overnight on a boat, which follows them from location to location.

While the 2008 tours took place entirely in Quebec, there are possible plans to expand into Ontario (1000 Islands) next summer. To find out more, please visit http://www.latitude45n.com/en/bateau.asp.

REMEMBERING GEORGE NICHOLSON

Wonderful trail champion George Nicholson died suddenly of a massive heart attack on Sunday night. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing George know what a great loss it is. Many of you may remember George from the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure. He was very proud to have completed the whole 680 km and very proud to see another Trail system achieve such an important milestone. George helped the Trust in many ways over the years to bring the Waterfront Trail to reality; however his first trail love was the Greater Niagara Circle Route - a 140km cycling route in the Niagara Peninsula. Brenda Mills, a Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Alumni and friend of George made the excellent suggestion that we all ride the Great Niagara Circle Route in his honour. Look for the bench along the route that was dedicated to George at his retirement!
Our thoughts are with his friends and family.

FEATURED TRAIL ROUTE: GREATER NIAGARA CIRCLE ROUTE

In honour of George Nicholson, this month’s featured trail route is the Greater Niagara Circle Route. With over 140 km of mostly off-road paved trail, the GNCR is the best way to explore the Niagara Region. Visit quaint downtowns, wineries and take in the beautiful landscape, including the stunning Niagara Escarpment.

The route can be divided into 4 main sections:

The Welland Canals Trail follows parts of the existing and previous canals from St. Catharines on Lake Ontario (north end) through Thorold and Welland to Port Colborne on Lake Erie (south end)
The Friendship Trail goes between Port Colborne and Fort Erie (east end).
the Niagara River Recreation Trail follows the Niagara River, through the city of Niagara Falls, to Niagara-on-the-Lake (north end).
The Waterfront Trail follows Lakeshore Road from Niagara-on-the-Lake to St. Catharines (west end).

For more information, including maps and list of sites, check out the GNCR website at:
http://www.niagararegion.ca/government/initiatives/gncr/default.aspx

A fold-out map of the entire GNCR can be obtained from the Niagara Economic Development Corporation either through their website tourismniagara.com or the toll free information line at 1-800-263-2988.

Online Library of Scenic Bicycle Routes

For another way to tour the Niagara Region, check out their online library of scenic bicycle routes. Cyclists can choose from a library of 200-300 pre-selected scenic tours, each one containing a map and turn-by-turn directions in PDF printable format. The routes are searchable by start municipality, distance and difficulty level. Different routes showcase the various attractions and that Niagara has to offer, including magnificent falls, wineries, orchards, waterways, lakes, parks, quaint historic villages, agri-tourism destinations, urban centres and the Niagara Escarpment world biosphere reserve.

To access this great resource, please visit http://www.niagararegion.ca/exploring/cycle/Bicycle-Niagara.aspx.

SIGNING SCARBOROUGH WATERFRONT TRAIL

We often receive questions at the Trust about what is being done in Scarborough to close the gap in the Waterfront Trail. This is a favourite stretch of waterfront for many people and we’re happy to announce that much progress was made this summer towards closing the gap through Scarborough.

As you know the long-term goal for the Waterfront Trail is to create a dedicated route as close to the water’s edge as is environmentally feasible. In Scarborough, such an alignment is decades away, necessitating the creation of a street-based interim route that connects Toronto and Durham.

Thanks to Councillor Paul Ainslie and the City of Toronto’s Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure Department, Waterfront Trail signs have been installed from Bellamy Road to the Rouge River Park this June. The route offers cyclists and walkers a lovely tour of residential streets, avoiding Kingston Road, and links them to the wonderful Port Union Waterfront Trail-Phase One, which was completed by Toronto Region Conservation in 2006. Phase Two began earlier this year and once completed (2011) will establish a waterfront trail from the Port Union GO station to the mouth of the Rouge River.

There remains a 10 km gap from The Beach to Bellamy Road. The Trust has developed an interim street-based route that uses residential streets and short stretches of Kingston Road to go around private property such as the Hunt Club and St. Augustine’s Seminary. This route can be found on our Waterfront Trail maps at http://www.waterfronttrail.org/trail.html. The Trust will continue to consult with the City of Toronto on this proposal.

In addition and thinking more long-term, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority is leading a public consultation process to create a plan for the Scarborough waterfront. The Trust has participated in stakeholder consultations to date and looks forward to working with the TRCA on the Scarborough Section of Waterfront Trail.

TRAILS OF THE WORLD: SWITZERLAND

This past spring Switzerland Mobility helped to spearhead an active travel project to bring a long term dream into a reality. Their hope is to boost the economy through the creation of one of the world’s most well connected trail systems that encompass some 20,000 km and 100,000 sign posts along the route. This massive undertaking is a vast system of interconnected trails for hiking, biking, skating and believe it or not...canoeing, and is accessible from over 18,000 stops along their public transit network.

This incredible feat is considered to be “the world’s largest national network of non-motorized transport routes ever created”. For more details on the story check out the link below:
http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/?p=112

If you have any questions or would like to contribute to this Ezine, please contact David at:
info@wrtrust.com
416-943-8080
372 Richmond Street West, Suite 308
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 1X6

WARNING: The information and suggestions in this newsletter have been developed to assist Trail users in planning both their recreational and commuting trips along the Waterfront Trail. It mentions signed routes of the Trail, as well as possible routes and connections in areas where routes have not yet been designated as part of the Waterfront Trail. The possible routes and connections have been identified in consultation with the municipalities and Conservation Authorities of Lake Ontario and from Trail users. Some of these possible routes and connections may not be ideal for cycling, in-line skating, or hiking. They may be unsuitable for some Trail users because of the close proximity to vehicular traffic or unsuitable trail surface. Whenever possible, indicators have been placed on the maps to warn of caution areas. However, be prepared to make your own evaluation of traffic, trail and road conditions, and plan routes appropriate to your riding, in line skating, and hiking skills and your comfort level. This newsletter is not intended as a guide for children.